Following suit, I drew pales out of the non-alc hat and was fairly upbeat about it. I had seen plenty kicking about online and in bottle shops so figured I might be able to get my grubby mitts on some decent fruity numbers that would scratch the itch whilst supporting my January health (and wealth) aspirations!!
Infinite Session – American Pale Ale
ABV - 0.0%
Calories - 36 per can
Hops – Simcoe, Citra and Mosaic
I don’t think I could manage a very small finite session of this never mind a supply lasting for a lifetime and beyond. Average body for a non-alc with vague hints of pine and citrus and some yeasty sourdough thrown in for good measure. A touch of bitterness played through, just about saving this beer from vanishing into obscurity!
This one is quite widely available in supermarkets and online retailers so might be worth a dabble if you have some driving to do or fancy some nondescript beery notes with the calorie intake of a cup of green beans. However, if you want actual flavour and are willing to do a touch more searching, I would recommend avoiding.
Score – 2.75
Days Brewing – Pale Ale
ABV - 0.0%
Calories - 21 Cal per 100ml
Hops – CTZ, Magnum and Herkules
A touch more body on this one and a distinctly amber pour had me (somewhat) excited. The hops frankly could have been made up for all I know as I certainly haven’t heard of any of them before!!
There was a touch more flavour coming through with a decent pinch of grapefruit bitterness, again some yeasty notes that wouldn’t be out of place in a lager and a dash of generic fruity sweetness. Not awful and I nicely refreshing but a touch bland!
Score 3.0
Ilkley – Virgin Mary
ABV - 0.5% ABV
Calories - 51 Cal per 330ml
Hops - Calypso, Azacca, Independence, Ahtanum
Again, a couple of the hops wouldn’t look out of line in a “Gladiators” revamp – what is it with these NAs and their obscure hop bills!!
Supremely thin on the body like a glass of water with a dash of tea tree oil added. I wasn’t expecting much and I got even less. This tasted like stale iced tea with a touch of orange or peach cordial added. I would avoid in all but desert island castaway scenarios and my phone appears to have deleted the photo I took in disgust!
Score - 2.0
Northern Monk – Holy Faith
ABV - 0.5% ABV
Calories - ??? Cal per 100ml (probably the most calorific)
Hops – Citra cryo and El Dorado
This poured a pretty much normal (supermarket standard) hazy pale ale and gave off a decent citrus aroma that raised the possibility of an AF beer that really delivers on flavour.
Hallelujah, we have a winner folks! The good people at Northern Monk have pulled it off and brewed a corker. The use of oats and maltodextrin provide that soft and smooth crushable mouthfeel we all know and love and the hop combo brings overt citrus, pineapple chunks, passionfruit and some nice grassy notes - it really is reminiscent of their core “Faith” hazy pale which is a notable achievement.
For me this is certainly a repeat buy - a beer you would keep stocked in the fridge at all times for when you fancy a splash of yellow but haven't earned those calories or are giving the liver a break. If you see it in your local bottle shop or are ordering online, I would strongly recommend!!!!
Score 4.25
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